3 ms·

Daryl Davis Befriends KKK Members and Gets Them to Quit

62 points by zuhayeer 3y ago

drcongo 3y ago
There's a very good documentary about this guy called Accidental Courtesy - well worth seeking out.
onedognight 3y ago
This a great story, but maybe add 2017 to the title, dang?
adwi 3y ago
Stellar audio portrait of him here, told first-person: https://loveandradio.org/2014/02/the-silver-dollar/ https://loveandradio.org/2014/02/the-silver-dollar/ Sonically it’s beautifully produced, but a transcript is in the link as well.
bruceb 3y ago
The KKK is like 5k in a country of 320 million. It has no power and hasn't had for a long time. Good that people quit but the KKK at this point is more of a media creation than a any kind of threat.
- unsubstantiated 3y ago
  Always has been. It's a distractionary boogeyman.
- spiralx 3y ago
  The KKK may be a shadow of its former size and power but that has just lead to lots of smaller groups with similar beliefs forming that aren't so attention-grabbing.
  - krapp 3y ago
    Not smaller, bigger - racist and anti-semitic conspiracy theories have been normalized in American culture now, to the point that American politicians can espouse their belief in replacement theory or cultural Marxism without significant backlash. The KKK is a weird cultish circus with its robes and "wizards" and "dragons" but what do they matter when we elect Presidents who openly describe Mexican immigrants as rapists and say Haitians all have AIDS and Nigerian immigrants should "go back to their huts in Africa." And that's not to single out one party, both are endemically racist (the Democrats consider themselves entitled to black votes,) and, unlike the Klan, actually exercise real political power and cultural influence. Between that and white liberals insisting on "racial blindness" rather than confronting racism where it exists, including their own white privilege, it seems like this guy is trying to save the Titanic from sinking with a teacup. It's an effort, but ultimately futile.
brundolf 3y ago
Another favorite example of de-radicalization through compassion: https://youtu.be/SSH5EY-W5oM https://youtu.be/SSH5EY-W5oM I'm a firm believer that the antidote to hatefulness is connection, which leads to empathy, which leads to love
spiralx 3y ago
So starting in 1983 that's roughly five conversions a year assuming the figure of 200 people in the article. So a 1,000 years to get through all 5k members according to bruceb's post. The man is a legend but it goes to show how difficult it is to deradicalise people who are deep in an ideology of hate. Something relevant to think about with things going on around the world right now. Stopping people from going down the rabbit hole in the first place is really the only viable long-term solution - easier done with individuals than entire communities sharing that ideology as the norm.
- DougN7 3y ago
  But imagine if there were 100 or 1000 people doing exactly what he is doing.
giraffe_lady 3y ago
It's an impressive accomplishment and obviously kind of a marvel that this is what he feels called to do. Only respect for the man and his activism. But I hate the tone that often emerges when this is brought up or referenced, especially common since 2020. As if Davis's approach is the correct way for black people to address the racism of white people, contrasted against the "wrong" ways like BLM protests and organized direct action. The man put himself in significant danger over many years. For impressive and personally meaningful but ultimately very small scale victories. That can't be the standard we expect from black activists. White racism is a problem white people are obligated to solve. If you are are white it is your role to be doing this, don't make a black man do it for you.
- indigo0086 3y ago
  No one made him. If anything this should be a way to inspire people to do what they can as opposed to setting a standardized, mass marketed (see BLM) form of activism
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- fakedang 3y ago
  BLM and Davis' approach is akin to Hamas or the IRA vs Gandhi or Mandela's approach. You can either let people discover the truth and convince themselves, or you can wage war on them. Just that the former way often leads to lasting damage.
  - giraffe_lady 3y ago
    And in the mean time if they are waging war on you you are to die politely and silently. State powers also learned from nonviolent movements. Like what are some major nonviolent protest movements against state oppression that have significantly achieved their goals in the last 50 years? Their success depended on certain social and political factors that simply no longer exist. We are encouraged to consider them the perfect form of resistance precisely because they are not effective right now.
RecycledEle 3y ago
I tried to do that in college and all I got was the FBI listing me as a white supremacists. It turns out the KKK member I tried to befriend was working for the FBI and the university I was attending. He was there to fake a white supremacists movement so they could cancel all the merit based scholarships and replace them with race based scholarships I needed my scholarship.

62 points by zuhayeer 3y ago

drcongo 3y ago

There's a very good documentary about this guy called Accidental Courtesy - well worth seeking out.

onedognight 3y ago

This a great story, but maybe add 2017 to the title, dang?

adwi 3y ago

Stellar audio portrait of him here, told first-person: https://loveandradio.org/2014/02/the-silver-dollar/ https://loveandradio.org/2014/02/the-silver-dollar/ Sonically it’s beautifully produced, but a transcript is in the link as well.

bruceb 3y ago

The KKK is like 5k in a country of 320 million. It has no power and hasn't had for a long time. Good that people quit but the KKK at this point is more of a media creation than a any kind of threat.

unsubstantiated 3y ago
Always has been. It's a distractionary boogeyman.
spiralx 3y ago
The KKK may be a shadow of its former size and power but that has just lead to lots of smaller groups with similar beliefs forming that aren't so attention-grabbing.
- krapp 3y ago
  Not smaller, bigger - racist and anti-semitic conspiracy theories have been normalized in American culture now, to the point that American politicians can espouse their belief in replacement theory or cultural Marxism without significant backlash. The KKK is a weird cultish circus with its robes and "wizards" and "dragons" but what do they matter when we elect Presidents who openly describe Mexican immigrants as rapists and say Haitians all have AIDS and Nigerian immigrants should "go back to their huts in Africa." And that's not to single out one party, both are endemically racist (the Democrats consider themselves entitled to black votes,) and, unlike the Klan, actually exercise real political power and cultural influence. Between that and white liberals insisting on "racial blindness" rather than confronting racism where it exists, including their own white privilege, it seems like this guy is trying to save the Titanic from sinking with a teacup. It's an effort, but ultimately futile.

brundolf 3y ago

Another favorite example of de-radicalization through compassion: https://youtu.be/SSH5EY-W5oM https://youtu.be/SSH5EY-W5oM I'm a firm believer that the antidote to hatefulness is connection, which leads to empathy, which leads to love

spiralx 3y ago

So starting in 1983 that's roughly five conversions a year assuming the figure of 200 people in the article. So a 1,000 years to get through all 5k members according to bruceb's post. The man is a legend but it goes to show how difficult it is to deradicalise people who are deep in an ideology of hate. Something relevant to think about with things going on around the world right now. Stopping people from going down the rabbit hole in the first place is really the only viable long-term solution - easier done with individuals than entire communities sharing that ideology as the norm.

DougN7 3y ago
But imagine if there were 100 or 1000 people doing exactly what he is doing.

giraffe_lady 3y ago

It's an impressive accomplishment and obviously kind of a marvel that this is what he feels called to do. Only respect for the man and his activism. But I hate the tone that often emerges when this is brought up or referenced, especially common since 2020. As if Davis's approach is the correct way for black people to address the racism of white people, contrasted against the "wrong" ways like BLM protests and organized direct action. The man put himself in significant danger over many years. For impressive and personally meaningful but ultimately very small scale victories. That can't be the standard we expect from black activists. White racism is a problem white people are obligated to solve. If you are are white it is your role to be doing this, don't make a black man do it for you.

indigo0086 3y ago
No one made him. If anything this should be a way to inspire people to do what they can as opposed to setting a standardized, mass marketed (see BLM) form of activism
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
fakedang 3y ago
BLM and Davis' approach is akin to Hamas or the IRA vs Gandhi or Mandela's approach. You can either let people discover the truth and convince themselves, or you can wage war on them. Just that the former way often leads to lasting damage.
- giraffe_lady 3y ago
  And in the mean time if they are waging war on you you are to die politely and silently. State powers also learned from nonviolent movements. Like what are some major nonviolent protest movements against state oppression that have significantly achieved their goals in the last 50 years? Their success depended on certain social and political factors that simply no longer exist. We are encouraged to consider them the perfect form of resistance precisely because they are not effective right now.

RecycledEle 3y ago

I tried to do that in college and all I got was the FBI listing me as a white supremacists. It turns out the KKK member I tried to befriend was working for the FBI and the university I was attending. He was there to fake a white supremacists movement so they could cancel all the merit based scholarships and replace them with race based scholarships I needed my scholarship.